It is a story of saying yes and following the trail

V&A Taylor Swift song trail

Though closed, this was a perfect example of when an art gallery knows its art and what it is displaying. Making the visitor walk around the museum and see other pieces in the exhibition there all the time might entice them to come back and explore the other art.

It also created a journey and experience as you travelled through Taylor Swift's career and the eras.

I believe the place where they displayed them was the best, with the outfit used on the fearless tour for the love story displayed on a balcony, like in the video depicting Juliet's balcony in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Or having the red eras look like a room decorated in Red. Also, there is an era where she provides all the hats or the bejewelled looks in the jewellery area of the V&A. While also hearing the songs from the era on display, I feel like this should be played louder and more prominently.

The lighting shows off the sparkles on some of the outfits, and the setting has complete accessories. A key repetition throughout all was one of the glass boxes so you could see a 360 perspective from all angles, but also the LED lights to look like music flowing and to show the depth of the outfit and something to reflect in the glass. I do not know why this was used, but it worked as a metaphor to show the continuous journey Taylor Swift tells us through her music and all the ups and downs in her personal life.

It could have been more immersive, but the fans can bring in that element. I jokingly sang a song from each era depending on what was on view at the time, which created an ambience and made it more fun when we had to queue for the next step.

I found it poetic that there were 13 stops, which is known to be Taylor Swift's favourite number and something that, in her early tours, was always written on her hand. Also, with Tortured Poets Department being a new album just this year, which was not performed on the American leg of the tour, it was welcoming to have an outfit for the debut single “Tortured Poets Department” music video being at the latest spot and to be included at all.